The producer of Trisha and Vijay Sethupathi’s 96, Nandagopal, has been banned by Tamil cine artistes’ body Nadigar Sangam over unpaid dues to actors; the film released in October. The Nadigar Sangam has issued a red card to Madras Enterprises and producer Nandagopal, stating, “When a film faces some trouble, many actors agree to take their pending salary later. But this has unfortunately led to a situation where a production company dodges and fails to pay the dues. To start with, we’ve requested our members not to collaborate with Madras Enterprises for any of their films.”

The morning shows of the film were cancelled due to the same issue and the film was screened only after Vijay Sethupathi reportedly decided to pay Rs 1.5 crore of the unpaid dues to ensure a smooth release. The president of Tamil Nadu Film Producers’ Council, Vishal, also said that he would pay the interest on the loan that Nandagopal had taken till the producer is able to pay it back.

However, according to a report in Indian Express, a source close to Vijay Sethupathi said, “The morning shows of 96 got cancelled because of this issue and if Vijay hadn’t intervened, the film wouldn’t have been released on time. He paid Rs 1.5 crore out of his pocket.”

According to the same report, producer Nandagopal denied the claims and said, “When a film faces some trouble, many actors agree to take their pending salary later. But this has unfortunately led to a situation where a production company dodges and fails to pay the dues. To start with, we’ve requested our members not to collaborate with Madras Enterprises for any of their films.”

The film directed by Premkumar has been facing trouble since its release. Starting off with issues with the producer’s loan to accusation of 96’s story being plagiarised, the movie has been struggling. While it has won over critics and audiences, the film was prematurely premiered on television even as shows in theatres were running successfully. The Diwali TV premier took place despite Trisha requesting Sun TV, who owned the rights, to rethink their decision.

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First Published: Nov 12, 2018 20:22 IST